OSU Fanbase Story (Yes it's worth its own diary!)

I was reading "The clash of the fanbases" diary, and I was inspired to create an account just so I could share this story. I'm pretty sure it's worth its own diary!

So, last year being my senior year, two of my die-hard Michigan friends and I decided to take our long awaited pilgrimage down to Columbus for the OSU-Michigan game. To top things off, we bought tickets that ended up being (much to our surprise/ dismay/ excitement) smack dab in the middle of OSU's upperclassmen student section. We were the only ones. If you watch the game you can actually see three lonely maize dots in a sea of red. We were also interviewed for some show on FSN before the game started because of our choice of seating.
Describing the horrors we were subjected to doesn't do them justice. It was freezing, so, naturally, we sported winter accessories. One of my friends was wearing Michigan earmuffs which ended up providing 25% of the material for the berating given to us by the osu fans. (The other 75% were accusations of us being gay.. OSU fans aren't the most creative bunch). At one point, the entire student section started an "EARMUFFS! CLAP-CLAP-CLAP... EARMUFFS!-CLAP-CLAP-CLAP" chant.
Other acts of terror included the throwing of full cups of water (without tops) which drenched my back, two drunk fans behind us screaming into our ears before, during, and after every play, my life being threatened for turning around to take a picture of the score board (before the game...), a constant barrage of pop-corn, and many more.
At one point, my friend's Wolverine hat was ripped off of his head and thrown toward the field. The fan that caught it turned around and pointed to us then back to the hat. We waved and signaled for him to throw it back. He proceeded to turn and chuck it even further.
When we celebrated after Pryor threw an early interception, the students around us began making comments that we were engaging in some kind of intercourse.
I could go on forever, but I'm afriad this is getting a little redundant. I'll skip to the end. When OSU scored to go up by 28, the abuse was getting to such a dangerous level that we decided to leave in fear that they would hang us from the stadium by bucknut necklaces before the game's end. As we left, the entire student section gave us a standing ovation along with screaming every swear word I've ever heard and a few I think they might have made up then and there.
All in all, nothing can compare to the craziness of sitting in the Ohio State student section, as a Michigan fan, during an utter beat down. Today, I'm proud to say I survived that experience, and I'm an even stronger fan because of it. Despite it all, I can easily say that it was the most amazing experience I've ever had.

I could have told you that was all going to happen, maybe not exactly, but I could guarantee it wouldn't be good. I would never go to that damned stadium and I hope to never step foot in that state (have driven through it but drove straight through that hell-hole). I'm surprised you didn't actually get the S beaten out of you. Expecially with the ear muffs (really ear muffs? that's just asking for it). Glad to hear you made it out of there alive. I don't understand how a group of fans can be so outright insane to another given group of fans. I mean I hate every OSU fan's guts, but I wouldn't go anywhere near as far as they went with you. Maybe a few comments and making fun of them.

My ex-server girl, threw a punch at the back of a Longhorn fan and connected when they last played in Cbus. She was very proud of herself, then she cried when they lost. She said he was being an a**hole about the game!

I believe that tUOS fans have gotten much, much worse over the years than they used to be.

When I was in HS waaaay back in 1986, I went down to the game in the former Horseshoe and we had seats in Block O, which was the heart of the student section corner. Fk that, we arent sitting with those losers, we said....so we decided to go down on the field and watch the game from there.

We watched the game right on the endzone. The cone was right next to my knee...we were THAT close to the action. When Thomas Wilcher scored a TD, it was 10 feet from me at ground level... I even got on the ABC telecast next to that loser Brutus Buckeye as he was dancing his jig.

Oh yeah, We won the game too... that was a thrilling experience and I dont remember the tUOS fans being too bad that day.

I don't know why, but I remain dubious when I hear these types of stories. Every UM fan has got one that is better than the last. I think I remain, to this day, the only uM fan who has never had to face the abuse that comes with being a UM fan, wearing UM garb to an opposing venue (yes, even one as evil and shameless as The Horseshoe), or just walking down the street with a UM hat on.
But I also walk nto opposing venues with a measure of respect for where I'm at, and for the fans of the other teams.

Your story is a great example of something that has bothered me since the 70's. When OSU fans come to Ann Arbor, we usually treat them in a classy manner. There is a little bit of banter, but no violence or vandalism, and there is usually a tacit respect given to fans of opposing teams who care enough to take in a road game.

When UM fans go to Columbus, though, they get cars vandalized, tires slashed, speeding tickets from the Ohio State Troopers for going one mile over the speed limit, and personal physical attacks like what you said in your diary.

Then, OSU fans and their apologists actually complain about UM fans who complain about the treatment they get for having the unadulterated nerve to buy a ticket and go to a football game, never seeing the irony or ignorance in their complaints.

When OSU fans come to Ann Arbor, we usually treat them in a classy manner. There is a little bit of banter, but no violence or vandalism, and there is usually a tacit respect given to fans of opposing teams who care enough to take in a road game.

As an extremely inebriated college student at Michigan from 1996-2000, I can assure you that this is not true.

The rest of your life, whatever happens to you, wherever you go, and whomever you end up with, nothing-- and I mean NOTHING-- will ever be as dangerous, as terrifying, and as bleak as sitting in that stadium with those morons. We might wonder what our lives would be like if we had the wisdom to know that we've already faced the worst we would ever encounter. That's pretty liberating.

It's just so funny. OSU fans can (and do) write the SAME type of junk, and it's taken as gospel. EVERY school has it's idiots, and OSU is no worse (and no better) than Michigan. So, if you've had a bad experience, so have WE. Kentucky fans will tell you they fear for their lives at Tennessee, and vice versa. Trust me, the Big Hole is not a welcoming place for us. You leave, and 12 year old kids flip you off and spit at you when you leave the portals. It just isn't right, or correct, that we're soooo bad, and you folks are choirboys.

"I personally swear at every OSU fan I see during our yearly encounter. I will continue this trend until the day I die." - you think this guy is the only one...and others that aren't worse?

Yeah, I'm not so sure about that. Most people I've heard talking from other fan bases disliked Ohio State fans in general, more than they did Michigan fans. Here's two random examples. Save me the examples of anti-Michigan fans, but most of the other Michigan people I've encountered seemed extremely laid back and quiet. (Maybe that's why we have so many "sit down" type people?) That being said, which fan base is represented in another teams blog with a poster named "Five in a row" here? I think it's you, isn't it?

I have encountered bad fans at many away games, but the fans in Columbus were by far the worst I've seen. I've never been scared before while tailgating at another campus. I was scared in Columbus.

On the other side of the topic, what fans are the most friendly? I think Notre Dame gets my respect for having the best fans. I've been to friendlier places, but given that Notre Dame is a rival, I think their fans treat visiting fans really well.